Latty Township, Paulding County

How Latty Township, Paulding County began

Latty Township, the only township of its name in Ohio, sits in the south of Paulding County and holds the village of Grover Hill. The 1892 county atlas says it was named for Judge Alexander Sankey Latty, a county official when the township was organized in 1855 as the last in the county; its first settler, Leonard Kimmell, built a cabin in 1853 on section 36, though Judge Latty himself told Henry Howe in 1886 that Leonard Kimmel was the only resident when he arrived in 1837. Prairie Creek, ditched at a cost of about $13,000, drains the township, and Grover Hill was laid out in 1887 on the line of the American Midland railroad and named for Grover Cleveland.

Settled 1853 (1892 atlas); Judge Latty recalled Leonard Kimmel there in 1837 (Howe), incorporated 1855 (organized), by Edward Leonard Kimmell, first settler.

Where the name comes from

Named for Judge Alexander Sankey Latty, a resident of the county in an official position at the time the township was organized; the village of Latty in neighboring Paulding Township is named for him as well.

Before the town

No Native American village, mound or treaty site specific to Latty Township is recorded.

Timeline

1. 1837 — Per Judge A. S. Latty's 1886 account to Henry Howe, the only settler in what is now Latty Township is Leonard Kimmel.
2. 1842 — In 1842 only four Paulding County townships (Auglaize, Brown, Crane and Carryall) are organized; Latty is not yet one of them.
3. 1853 — Edward Leonard Kimmell builds the first cabin in the township, on section 36, and becomes its first actual settler; Edward McQuestion, Lydia and Lee Kohn, Mark Pease and William Eaton settle soon afterward.
4. 1855 — Latty Township is organized, the last of the county's townships to be set off; the first election, in 1856 at the cabin of Lemuel Tucker, draws nine votes and elects Adam Weimer justice of the peace.
5. 1857 — The first school house in the township is built on the northwest corner of section 36; the first school had met earlier in a small log house on William Eaton's farm.
6. 1872 — Philander Gilbert builds the first saw mill in the township; the post office called Gilbert's Mills opens in 1873 with Gilbert as postmaster and later moves to Grover Hill.
7. 1877 — The Christian denomination organizes the township's second church; the first, Methodist, had been organized by Rev. Emanuel Kauffman, who later became a captain in the 100th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
8. 1887 — Grover Hill is laid out on the prospective line of the American Midland railroad, then being graded through the county, and named for ex-President Grover Cleveland and former Congressman W. D. Hill; Lenhart's stave factory is its chief industry.
9. 1890 — Latty Township's population is 2,010, up from 617 in 1880, after ditching of Prairie Creek and the clearing of farms.
10. 1900 — Grover Hill, in the township's southeast, records 655 residents, on its way to a 1910 peak of 676.

Stories

Ditching Prairie Creek

When Latty Township was organized in 1855 its soil was already called exceedingly fertile and destined to become one of the best agricultural townships in the county, but most of it was wet. The 1892 county atlas says great improvements had been made in the preceding years in ditching, road building and clearing farms; the ditching of Prairie Creek alone, which crosses the whole township, cost the county about $13,000. In the single decade from 1880 to 1890 the township's population grew from 617 to 2,010, and Grover Hill, laid out in 1887 on the line of a railroad that was being graded, filled with a stave factory, business houses and homes. The atlas's author predicted the township would soon rank with the best farming land in the county.

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · archive.org

Mostly private wells The water here

• Paulding Village53% of residentsPaulding Reservoir, fed by Flat Rock Creek
• Country Inn Enhanced Living Center47% of residentsGroundwater wells (1 wells)

Bridges rated poor (2)

Spills reported since 2021 (3)

Who holds office

Roster as of 2026-09-18: county board of elections.

Money issues on the ballot since 2019: 1 of 1 passed; of those asking for new or higher taxes, 1 of 1.

Ballot issues

Elections for office

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

• No fiscal caution, watch or emergency on the Auditor of State's lists.
• Basic Audit, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-11-06

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